[Teracis]

Hey all, just putting the word out to see what's out there. My zook has turned into a smoke machine and I'm weighing up my options, I figure if I don't post here and see what's out there I'm never going to find out.

Suggest anything else required for a 4AGE conversion? Possibly a suitable radiator e.t.c

Thanks in advance

[paulv]

You will probably need an efi fuel pump - if you currently have a carb engine.

Google ae86 forum. You are more likely to find 4age + T50 for sale there.

[Fatzook]

Have you put this wanted ad up on some of the toyota forums? You may have better luck there

[paulv]

Oh, and you will need some bits to convert your Sierra to a hydraulic clutch.
Standard Sierra is a cable clutch. T50 is hydraulic.

[2stroker]

You need a hilux clutch master cylinder
You need an efi fuel tank or a lift pump and surge tank/swirl pot.
You need an EFI high pressure pump
You need to move your transfer back
You need to shorten the rear drive shaft
You need to lengthen front drive shaft
You need to modify and shorten jack shaft
You need either custom extractors or a rear wheel drive exhaust manifold
You need a rear wheel drive thermostat set up
You have to run unboosted brakes as the intake interfers with the booster
You will need to wire it up
You will need a custom radiator

there is probably more but I am getting tired.

[Teracis]

Cool as, no I haven't posted it anywhere else yet as I said it's more part of my information hunt (which seems to be working out well) and I'll put a post up on a toyota forum soon.

It's all about cash at the moment, weighing up my options as to rebuild vs replacement. Haven't heard back what it'll cost to rebuild the stock engine yet but the information floating around here/the net is saying 1400ish and I might as well put a bit more in and replace it with a bigger engine.

Also, I thought you could get away with not moving the tcase when doing a conversion? That would be the biggest PITA of all I think due to the new shaft lengths.

[canberramav]

This motor is a big job to out in correctly.

Stick with a zook motor of some description unless you want to spend the next 6 months in the shed.

[Teracis]

canberramav wrote:

This motor is a big job to out in correctly.

Stick with a zook motor of some description unless you want to spend the next 6 months in the shed.

I assume you mean put in correctly?

The plan is to get all the gear/parts and have it all ready to go before starting. I can't see it being too hard, we can fabricate stuff other than the jackshaft and probably exhaust and I can wire it all up so long as I have drawings/colour codes e.t.c The other main thing is probably the hydraulic clutch but if it can be done I'm sure we can find a way!

The main thing is I don't NEED to have it on the road all the time (have work vehicle for work only) and it hasn't blown the current engine yet.

I'm still waiting to hear back about a rebuild so we'll see.

[2stroker]

Also you will need a rear wheel drive intake (hard to get) or you will need to cut the ends off a front wheel drive intake and swap them around and weld them back on. Yeah the T50 box is way longer and unfortunately the transfer has to be moved back otherwise there is no room for a jackshaft no matter how short it is.

You could wait till a reasonably priced injected 1600 Vitara engine comes up and buy a $200 adapter kit.

[EldarO]

a 4AGZE + loom + ECU runs about $2000.

thats just to get it on your garage floor.

a full conversion will cost you upwards of $3k, most likely just shy of $4000, and thats not counting all the hours of your time, headaches, loss of motivation etc.

[Teracis]

EldarO doesn't have to be a ze, just threw that in the title to get the kind of info you've kindly provided.

I didn't think a 4agze would be within the budget.

[EldarO]

strangely enough, if your gonna bother with a 4age, you should bother with a 4agze.

otherwise just put in a G16B.

[Fatzook]

EldarO wrote:

strangely enough, if your gonna bother with a 4age, you should bother with a 4agze.

otherwise just put in a G16B.

Agreed. Unless you are fitting a 20v ( which I personally think is a little too peaky for an off-road driven sierra), the 4age 16v is a good, but aged motor. Its also a cast steel block, and the conversion on the whole is ALOT more complicated than a G16B, due to things like gearboc, and clutch.

How much money are you prepared to throw at this?

[Teracis]

Fatzook wrote:

EldarO wrote:

strangely enough, if your gonna bother with a 4age, you should bother with a 4agze.

otherwise just put in a G16B.

Agreed. Unless you are fitting a 20v ( which I personally think is a little too peaky for an off-road driven sierra), the 4age 16v is a good, but aged motor. Its also a cast steel block, and the conversion on the whole is ALOT more complicated than a G16B, due to things like gearboc, and clutch.

How much money are you prepared to throw at this?

None

Nah I was hoping to get the engine and box for under 1k and do the lot myself. I know I'm dreaming thinking I could get away with an engine transplant for under even 2k but hey I'm new to all this.

Depends on what it's worth but I should find out tomorrow roughly what it'd cost me to rebuild the stock engine. If it's not as much as I think/thought it's going to be then I'll probably just do that and throw in 6.5 reduction gears and then get some 31's when I need new rubber.

That should make it "feel" a lot better to drive, if we're right and the rings are shot then it'll be down on power at the moment anyway right?

[Fatzook]

Engine conversions are not always a great idea when you are on a tight budget. If anything goes wrong you are left with an unfinished project

Rebuild will be anywhere from $800-1500 depending on what is wrong with the motor.

I think a rebuild and 6.5's is a much better idea.

[EldarO]

ive spent alot of time working with and on toyota motors, and i have even done conversions that didnt cost anything to the owner.

that said, they were willing to do the leg work, be patient, and think before they made decisions.

if your set on this, my advice is, talk to a local business, one that specialises in picking up unwanted shells, and one that is run by a small group, a couple of guys at best.

there are plenty of these around, that pick up cars, cut the cats out of them, keep the tyres if they're decent, fuel, and scrap the cars for metal.

give him your number, and tell him your after a 4AGE motor in a car, and you'll give him $400-500 plus a carton for the effort.

if this sounds daunting, your other option is to go to a stolen/recovered/crashed/insurance auction and pick up a car there.

the type of car you get will be important, because you can take the motor, whatever you need, and wreck the rest, the cat alone you'll be able to get $60 for at a scrap metal joint, and if you get a car for $500, thats more than 10% back already.

from there, find someone who has a mechanical minded company, that doesnt mind you name dropping, and that'll get you trade.

third, sign up to toymods, the guys on there know their stuff, just do yourself a favour, and sped alot of time reading before you ask questions, they can be brutal.

finally, if you have time, and if your patient, you'll be able to find parts alot cheaper than if you pick them up in a hurry.

just remember, 1.6 twincam isnt always a 4AGE, the majority in aus are 4AFE's, and, in comparison, they're crap.

for an added bit of fun, 7AFE's are getting cheap nowadays, and the blocks are a bit newer, so whack one in your 4AGE.

[Teracis]

Hey lads, thanks heaps for the info, basically what I was thinking. Also provided me with the details for the next step of the plan if I decide to go that way.

I guess it'll all be on how rooted my current engine is and or how much the rebuild would cost me.

I can be plenty patient, actually I just remembered I know a bloke who works at a wreckers, he might have some contacts like the one's you're talking about.

Either way, thanks again for the info, I'll let you all know what I'm gonna do before I do it. At the moment I'm leaning toward rebuild + 6.5 tcase gears because I want lower gears and if I spend money on a conversion, I won't be getting gears (at least for a long while) as I worked out that by the time I buy gears and tcase rebuild kit, shipping e.t.c. It'll be around $800 That and I'd like to grab one of those twisted TT shifter kits.

Anyhow, I'm trying to get tired enough to sleep. Might have to start counting things...